If your ideal Disney vacation isn’t complete without taking a slow-moving journey through human history inside an 18-story geodesic sphere—and catching the unmistakable scent of Rome burning—get ready for some exciting news.
EPCOT’s crown jewel is officially preparing for its next chapter.
Last night at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event in Anaheim, Disney announced that Spaceship Earth will receive a comprehensive reimagining, bringing the beloved opening-day dark ride into the modern era for the first time in nearly two decades.
The reveal took place during the star-studded Horizons: A Carousel of Progress showcase, where host Neil Patrick Harris was joined onstage by Walt Disney Imagineering executive Ali Rubinstein and popular engineer and creator Mark Rober to celebrate the attraction’s engineering legacy and look toward the future.
As Disney Parks writer Laura Pilat noted of the big reveal, “As Neil Patrick Harris was talking about outer space on the Horizons: A Carousel of Progress stage at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event presented by Visa, conversation naturally shifted to our favorite geodesic sphere from the ‘80s. Makes sense. How can you talk about the future of Disney Experiences without discussing the iconic attraction that celebrates humanity’s march from the caves to the cosmos and inspires guests to imagine, create, and build a better tomorrow.”
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From Human Communication to Human Connection
Ever since EPCOT opened its gates on October 1, 1982, Spaceship Earth has traced humanity’s grand story of progress, taking riders from prehistoric cave paintings and the invention of the printing press straight through the dawn of the 21st century.
While previous iterations of the ride have focused specifically on the evolution of human communication, Imagineering is widening the aperture for this upcoming refresh.
“Spaceship Earth’s story has been updated several times since it debuted in 1982, but it hasn’t actually been touched in nearly 20 years,” explained Rubinstein on stage. “Tonight, I can share, we’re bringing this iconic attraction back into the present day and beyond. Today, Spaceship Earth focuses on the story of human communication. We’re broadening that… our new version of Spaceship Earth will be about human connection.”
Rubinstein emphasized that while the team will be “bringing new magic to every scene,” the update will preserve the soul of the park. “Spaceship Earth will remain classically EPCOT—a journey through time celebrating the progress made possible through human connection.”
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A Historic Milestone for an Engineering Marvel
The update marks the first major overhaul of Spaceship Earth since its current version, famously narrated by Dame Judi Dench, debuted in early 2008. Over its 40-plus-year run, the attraction has featured legendary voice narrators including Vic Perrin, Walter Cronkite, and Jeremy Irons.
Standing at 180 feet tall and housing 2.2 million cubic feet of space, the attraction remains one of the most intricate ride systems Imagineering has ever engineered, utilizing a continuously moving spiral track that ascends into the sphere before rotating backward for the descent back to Earth.
“Inside is one of the most complicated ride systems Imagineering has ever created,” explained Nasa Engineer Mark Rober on stage. “It’s a continuously moving train of vehicles that spirals up into the structure and then turns around backwards, comes back down to Earth.”
While Disney has not yet announced an official closure date or construction timeline, the project represents a major creative commitment to preserving the heart of original EPCOT. As Pilat put it, “So, here’s to the next 30,000 years on Spaceship Earth. The present is just the beginning!”
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